Category: Sustainability

  • Pyxus Announces ESG Framework

    Pyxus Announces ESG Framework

    Pieter Sikkel (Photo: Pyxus International)

    Pyxus International has announced the framework of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, which builds off of the company’s legacy of sustainable agricultural production. With a focus on advancing progress on key global issues, such as climate change, farmer prosperity and human rights, the company is working across its operations and supply chain to enhance the sustainability of the business and deliver value to its stakeholders.

    Pyxus’ ESG strategy includes three key pillars: Implementing solutions that further improve the company’s environmental performance while reducing its environmental footprint (environment); supporting its employees, contracted farmers and communities while protecting human rights and providing an equal opportunity for success to all (social); and operating responsibly and ethically in every action its takes (governance).

    “Pyxus’ ESG strategy provides the connection between our purpose and our business priorities,” said Pieter Sikkel, president and CEO of Pyxus, in a statement. “As our company continues on its journey, the implementation of this strategy is expected to strengthen our business as well as help to recruit and retain top talent. This is an important milestone for Pyxus, and we are excited about the impact this strategy will have on our business, our supply chain and the world.”

     

  • Tobacco Recognized for Environmental Initiatives

    Tobacco Recognized for Environmental Initiatives

    CDP has recognized Philip Morris International, Japan Tobacco, Imperial Brands and Altria Group for their environmental leadership.

    PMI received CDP’s “Triple A” score, recognizing the company’s environmental performance in tackling climate change as well as protecting forests and water security.

    “External validation from organizations like CDP encourages us to continue on our journey to create a net-positive impact on society,” said PMI Chief Sustainability Officer Jennifer Motles, in a statement. “We are humbled PMI has received CDP’s Triple A distinction for a second time.”

    Japan Tobacco made CDP’s A List for the third consecutive year.

    “We are delighted to be included in the CDP’s Climate Change A List and Water Security A List for the third consecutive year,” said Kazuhito Yamashita, member of the board and senior vice president, chief sustainability, in a statement. “This clearly reflects our continued efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and expand our transparency in disclosing information.”

    Imperial Brands made CDP’s climate change A List for a third successive year.

    “We have a good track record in minimizing our impact on the environment and are committed to rapidly stepping up the decisive actions required to combat climate change,” said Imperial Brands Global ESG Director Tony Dunnag in a statement.

    Altria was recognized by CDP for a second consecutive year with a double A rating for tackling climate change and protecting water security.

    “We are committed to conserving the natural resources on which our businesses and communities rely,” said Jennifer Hunter, senior vice president, corporate citizenship at Altria in a statement. “As the latest science makes clear, the global community needs to quickly increase the ambition and progress of environmental targets, build climate resilient businesses and prepare for the net zero economy. Altria is committed to doing our part.” 

    CDP is a not-for-profit charity that runs a global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Its process is acknowledged as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency.

     The organization’s full 2021 A List of companies is available here.

  • Institute Recognized for Fighting Child Labor

    Institute Recognized for Fighting Child Labor

    Photo: Rachel Almeida

    Brazil’s Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights has recognized the Instituto Crescer Legal (ICL)—the “Growing up Right Institute”—with its Brazil Child-Friendly Award for its efforts to combat child labor in rural areas.

    ICL CEO Iro Schunke accepted the award during a ceremony on Nov. 19 in Brasilia. “We are very happy, and it encourages us to spare no effort in creating opportunities for young people to continue expanding their horizons”, he said in a statement.

    Created in 2015, the ICL is an initiative of the interstate tobacco industry union, SindiTabaco, and its associate companies. In addition to promoting education, the institute facilitates apprenticeships and offers entrepreneurship courses.

    Previously, the ICL was recognized by the Innovare Institute, which represents prestigious associations in the legal profession.

    The Brazil Child-Friendly Award recognizes best practices in the promotion of children’s rights.

    Tobacco Reporter profiled the Growing Up Right Institute in its April 2021 issue.

  • Mushrooms Trained to ‘Eat’ Cigarette Butts

    Mushrooms Trained to ‘Eat’ Cigarette Butts

    Photo: Rafal Olechowski

    Australian scientists are training oyster mushrooms to “eat” tobacco butts, reports ABC News.

    Oyster mushrooms send out long thin strands of white mycelium to explore their surroundings and gather nutrients—but eating a cigarette butt will be a new dining experience for them, according to Amanda Morgan, founder and head of research and development at Fungi Solutions.

    During the trial, the mushrooms slowly recognize the cellulose acetate in the filter of the cigarette butt and begin to eat it.

    At the end of the process, the mushrooms will have eaten the microplastics in the cigarette butts’ filters, leaving behind a material that can be used to create other products, such as boxes to collect cigarette butts.

    “They [the mushrooms] are used to the cellulose, but we need to introduce the other elements, just like training a baby to eat,” Morgan said.

    “From there, you can take the culture and grow the next one.”

    According to environmental organization No More Butts, about 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year.

    Morgan aims to set up a remediation facility in Wollongong where butts can be transported to, treated and turned into usable materials.

    The trial is expected to take up to two years.

  • Altria Releases Climate Financial Report

    Altria Releases Climate Financial Report

    Photo: Christian Horz

    Altria Group launched its first standalone Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report. The TCFD was formed by the Financial Stability Board in 2015 to help companies provide decision-useful information about their climate-related risks and opportunities to investors. In 2017, the TCFD published final recommendations across four core elements: governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets.

    “Just as we believe in the benefits of a science-[based] and evidence-based approach for our industry and tobacco harm reduction, we believe in a science-based approach for climate action,” said Sal Mancuso, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Altria, in a statement. “We also acknowledge this is our first TCFD report, and expectations for environmental, social and governance [ESG] disclosure are rapidly changing. We intend to learn as we go while responding to this dynamic environment as we evolve our reporting in the future.”

    This year, Altria disclosed its progress and key metrics for each of its responsibility focus areas: Protect the Environment; Reducing Harm and Preventing Underage Use; Drive Responsibility Through Our Value Chain; Supporting Our People and Communities; and Engage and Lead Responsibly.

    Altria’s responsibility focus areas are guided by its materiality assessment process—a comprehensive, formal approach to identify the most impactful ESG issues that Altria believes are important to its long-term sustainability and success.

  • Tobacco Companies Recognized for Sustainability

    Tobacco Companies Recognized for Sustainability

    Photo: patpitchaya

    British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco have been recognized for corporate sustainability.

    BAT has been named in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the 20th consecutive year and is the only tobacco company to be included in the DJSI World Index. The World Index represents the top 10 percent of more than 10,000 companies assessed.

    BAT is the highest-scoring tobacco company in 2021, with industry-leading scores in 11 of the 24 categories assessed, while achieving a top score of 100 percent in six categories, according to a company press release.

    “It is an honor to have been recognized by the DSJI every year for the last 20 years and once again be ranked within the DJSI World Index,” said Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at BAT.

    “Sustainability has been central to our business and ethos for decades, starting in 2001 when we established our first group-wide environment, health and safety systems, the BAT Biodiversity Partnership and a program of independently facilitated social dialogue. In March 2022, we will publish our 20th ESG Report.”

    Meanwhile, Japan Tobacco has been included in the DJSI Asia Pacific for the eighth consecutive year. JT scored 79 out of 100 in the 2021 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, achieving full score in the materiality, risk and crisis management, environmental reporting, operational eco-efficiency, social reporting, and corporate citizenship and philanthropy criteria out of 24 total criteria.

    “We are delighted that JT is once again included in the DJSI Asia Pacific this year,” said Kazuhito Yamashita, member of the board and senior vice president, chief sustainability officer, compliance and general affairs, in a statement.

    “Participation in international and credible ESG assessments allows us to objectively evaluate our own sustainability measures and disclosure materials. We are committed to promoting transparent and reliable disclosures of nonfinancial information. It is one of the agendas we have been focusing on in recent years and is an important initiative in order to advance dialogue with our stakeholders.”

    The DJSI is a recognized worldwide ESG (environmental, social and governance) stock index and a global sustainability benchmark that tracks the stock performance of the world’s leading companies in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. The DJSI Asia Pacific is an index of companies in the Asia-Pacific region that is reviewed once a year, and its constituents are selected from about 600 major companies in the region.

  • BAT Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion

    BAT Recognized for Diversity and Inclusion

    Photo: BAT

    BAT has become the first company in the tobacco industry to be awarded both the U.K. National Equality Standard (NES) and the Global Equality Standard (GES).

    The NES and GES are industry-leading benchmarks for diversity and inclusion and are awarded following a rigorous assessment process. GES certification can only be attained for global companies who are NES certified.

    Among the key strengths that secured BAT’s certification during the assessment process was its dedicated diversity and inclusion strategy, which was launched last year.

    As part of this strategy, by 2025, the company aims to increase the number of women in senior teams to 40 percent and women in management roles to 45 percent; achieve a 50 percent spread of nationalities within regional and functional leadership teams to mirror the company’s consumer base and organization; and double the number of cross-industry hires in senior teams to 24 percent.

    Also noted was a clear focus on mental health and well-being, the development of diversity and inclusion capabilities among middle management, and the fact that BAT has functional champions and leads who drive diversity and inclusion across the business.

    “Our ethos sets a clear direction for us to enable a diverse and inclusive workplace culture,” said Hae In Kim, director of talent, culture and inclusion at BAT, in a statement. “We want our employees to feel valued and proud to have a fulfilling career at BAT.”

    The NES is the U.K.’s leading diversity assessment framework, developed in partnership with the U.K. government and in collaboration with 20 public and private sector organizations. Assessments are conducted by EY.

  • BAT Commits to Net Zero Emissions by 2050

    BAT Commits to Net Zero Emissions by 2050

    Photo: Olivier Le Moal

    BAT has signed up for the U.N.-backed Race to Zero campaign, committing to net zero emissions by 2050.

    Race to Zero is the largest-ever alliance committed to halving global emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The campaign represents more than 4,000 businesses estimated to cover nearly 25 percent of global CO2 emissions and more than 50 percent of GDP. BAT’s commitment comes ahead of important global milestones in the fight to address climate change, including the G20 Summit in October and the COP26 conference in Glasgow on climate change in November.

    “Our purpose of building ‘A Better Tomorrow’ ensures that sustainability is front and center in all we do,” said BAT Chief Marketing Officer Kingsley Wheaton in a statement. “We are proud, therefore, to support the Race to Zero campaign. This is in addition to our New Categories journey—with Vuse, Glo and Velo—and our ambition to have £5 billion of New Category revenue by 2025 and 50 million noncombustible product users by 2030.”

  • Fortune: Reynolds Among Best Workplaces

    Fortune: Reynolds Among Best Workplaces

    Photo: RAI

    Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) has been named one of Fortune magazine’s Best Workplaces for Manufacturing and Production.

    The Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback.

    “This recognition is a testament to our employees, who are at the forefront of rapid transformation in our industry,” said Guy Meldrum, Reynolds president and CEO, in a statement. “We are committed to being an organization where everyone feels accepted, empowered and valued. We are proud our people continue to have a positive experience here at Reynolds.”

    By 2025, Reynolds aims to reach gender parity in management roles and to significantly increase minority representation in management and senior management roles. The company continues to implement progressive policies and programs with a sharpened focus on diversity and inclusion. The company offers first-in-class benefits, including:

    • A comprehensive parental leave policy with 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents
    • Dynamic employee resource groups comprising individuals with common interests or backgrounds and their allies
    • Tuition reimbursement and best-in-class recognition programs
    • Company-wide diversity and inclusion trainings and programs
    • Enhanced employee wellness resources and learning and development support during the Covid-19 pandemic

    “As leaders, we need to listen to our people—hear their different perspectives and reactions to what is going on within our companies and build upon their ideas,” said Anna Dolgikh, Reynolds’ senior vice president of human resources. “We invite all current and prospective employees to bring their difference and be the change.”

    Reynolds has a record of receiving accolades for its employment practices and taking actions that make it a good place to work. The organization scored 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index for the second year in a row, designating the company as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality. Reynolds was also recently named a DiversityInc top regional company, and for two years in a row has participated in CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion.

  • Merchants to Finance Woodlots in Zimbabwe

    Merchants to Finance Woodlots in Zimbabwe

    Since Zimbabwe’s land reform program at the turn of the millennium, the main source of energy for tobacco curing has been wood—a development that has contributed to deforestation. (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)

    Leaf merchants operating in Zimbabwe will be required to finance the planting of trees on 0.2 hectares for every hectare of tobacco contracted starting this year, reports The Herald. Firewood is the principal source of energy for curing tobacco in Zimbabwe.

    With close to 150,000 farmers, the tobacco industry has been blamed for a massive deforestation in Zimbabwe.

    Prior to Zimbabwe’s land reform program at the turn of the millennium, the main source of energy for curing tobacco was coal. The tobacco industry was dominated by large, mostly white-owned plantations at the time.

    Today’s tobacco sector, by contrast, is dominated by smallholder farmers who cannot afford coal and the associated infrastructure.

    Rodney Abrose, chief executive of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association, said alternative fuels are needed more than ever.

    “Provision of coal is not a sustainable source, and in the near future, tobacco cured with nonsustainable curing fuel may not be accepted by key customers,” he said.